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What is a specimen?

Senior Trademark Attorney

A specimen is a real-world example showing how the trademark is used in commerce in connection with the goods or services listed in the application. The USPTO requires it to confirm that the trademark is genuinely used as a source identifier in the US market, not just registered on paper.

A specimen is required at the time of filing for use-in-commerce applications, when filing the Statement of Use for intent-to-use applications, and when filing the Declaration of Use at the 5th–6th year maintenance stage and at each renewal. The specimen must be a real example from commerce, not a mockup, rendering, or digitally altered image.

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